Skin Of Earth – “Burn Barrel” [EP] [Vinyl Review]

I had no idea what to expect when I agreed to review the new EP, Burn Barrel, from the doom metal band Skin of Earth. I enjoy a fair amount of doom metal but most of what I listen to contains vocals and has a little more grit and substance to it.

As you might have just gleaned, this is an instrumental doom record, and one that goes by fairly quickly at just under twenty-eight minutes, but the band does a good job keeping things moving along and somewhat interesting. As you might expect, there is a ton of low end, and, as a matter of fact, it sometimes feels as though the bass guitar takes the lead and propels the listener though the four songs on this record. There are a few twists and turns, but nothing to write home about, and, at the end of the day, I think that if you were to sit down and closely listen to this you might come away disappointed – or even fall asleep!

However, I do really liked that it was released on vinyl, as I think the analog anomalies (i.e. pops and ticks) just added to the already noisy instrumental jam. I think that Burn Barrel is actually a solid background soundtrack for getting things done. I found that, on my second listen, I was finishing up domestic chores and it was the perfect accompaniment as I didn’t need to think about the lyrics or choruses, and the bottom end just enveloped me as I worked, pushing me along the way.

Burn Barrel Track Listing:

01. Oldsmobile
02. Olympus Mons
03. Lou Rawls
04. Jenny

Run Time: 27:03
Release Date: December 28, 2018
Record Label: Sump Pump Records

Get a glimpse of Skin of Earth playing live from 2017.